Sometimes the sling world can be a little narrow minded but in the time that I have used slings and run a sling library I have tried to remain flexible and open minded as possible in my views. Whenever I have given the opportunity to test slings I grab it with both hands and in my time I’ve tested a lot. Therefore when approached and asked if I would review the SnugiWraps Deluxe Mei Tai I had no hesitation in saying yes. As an active member of many online communities it has been difficult to avoid conversations about SnugiWraps and I have been keen to see for myself. I have to point out I have no links to SnugiWraps and have not been paid or received any benefits for writing this review. It is my opinion. The carrier I was sent was an instock Deluxe Mei Tai. It was not specifically made for review purposes; as such as I believe the carrier is a true example of the standard of work by SnugiWraps. The cost of this carrier would be £58.

The SnugiWraps Deluxe Mei Tai I was sent is a standard size and is designed to fit babies from approximately 6 months of age to 24 months. The body panel is 16 x 17 inches and the instructions state suitable for babies up to 15kg. My slingee is 20 months old and 12.5kg and he fits comfortably in this carrier, with amble room for him to be arms in if he wishes. The SnugiHood (based on a sweatshirt style hood) is featured on this mei tai and it is an optional extra on the basic deluxe carrier. It was lined with a soft plush lining in a striking blue which coordinated nicely with the decorative fabric body panel. Isaac found this carrier comfortable enough to sleep in and the hood therefore, when tied to the loops on the shoulder straps, kept his head from lolling backwards.

My initial impressions were extremely positive. The bright colours of the fabric panel contrasted nicely with the black cotton drill straps. These did not feel flimsy and appear of the same type/ quality many of the more well-known carrier makers use, although I cannot say this is definitely the case, they do feel similar. Steph clearly has an eye for catchy fabrics. The cartoon print of this carrier even attracted my 4 year olds attention who did ask for up but as he is over 15kg weight recommendation I chose not to as this could have been unfair on review.

I am not a seamstress and cannot work a sewing machine. However, I do know slings. If I feel a sling is not safe to use, I will not even put a demo doll in it, let alone my children. With this carrier I have no concerns over safety. The quality of materials used appears of a good standard and seam allowances seem sufficient of both shoulder and waist straps. There are three layers of fabric in the body panel (decorative front panel, black cotton twill and an internal layer (website says this is canvas). The waist band is padded and this has been separated by 3 lines of stitching to create a waist which moulds. I usually avoid slings with padded or structured waists due to a prolapsed disc in my lower spine and these tend to usually sit on this causing me discomfort. However, this carrier moulded around me and was comfortable to wear for extended periods. It did not slip and felt secure.We used it for a trip to the National Railway Museum at Shildon (Locomotion) and it was very comfortable. I have examples of ‘cheaper’ end mei tais in my sling library, this mei tai was much more substantial.

The shoulder straps come out of carrier at a 45 degree angle which is common in mei tais. The shoulder straps measure 80 inches (2 metres) long and were ample for me to use and allowed me to tie them Tibetan when I wished. The waist straps are 30 inches (making total of 60 inches) and this was sufficient for me. I am 5’10” and a size 10. If I was opting for this as an ‘instock’ library sling the length of waist straps could potentially limit the number of parents who could use this carrier, however, the SnugiWraps website does state if designing your own Deluxe Mei Tai to order that the straps can be made longer at your request for no extra charge. This Deluxe Mei Tai came with clear written instructions and these are also on the SnugiWraps website. I am dyslexic and would prefer photo instructions as well but the instructions were easy to understand.

I have examined this carrier carefully and cannot find any issues which would create safety concerns.In places the stitching wobbles but not in any way which can affect the safety of the carrier and it compares with other examples of mei tais I have from both well-known companies and other work at home mums. This mei tai shows no signs of being dangerous and stitching wobbles are of cosmetic nature only. There is currently NO legal requirement for testing of carriers in the UK. Some of SnugiWraps carriers have been sent for testing, although the Deluxe Mei Tai model has not. The only safety testBS EN 13209-2; 2005 is extremely complex and not design for wide based carriers such as these. The carriers sent for testing passed the clauses relevant to this type of carrier. Full details of the safety testing requested by SnugiWraps can be found on their website.

I have enjoyed being able to play with this SnugiWraps Deluxe Mei Tai. It has had several compliments from the people who have seen it. I have no concerns over the safety of this carrier. The fact this carrier came with sleepy dust also makes it priceless.

It is hard to explain to people exactly what I do. I was asked by the physiotherapist I saw on Thursday what my job was and I said 'Carrying Consultant'. He'd never heard of one. But I'm not surprised. Not many people have. Over the last few years with the launch of 3 new carrying schools in the UK and courses run by other providers too the number of Babywearing Consultants and peer supporters has increased dramatically. There is now a thriving network of trained and insured men and women out there who can help provide professional support. The art of teaching people to carry their babies was traditionally passed from mother to daughter and so on. It didn't need teaching but as the pram became more popular people began to lose the skills of carrying their children. Babywearing or carrying consultants are trying to bring these skills back to parents. Many people begin learning how to use a sling via YouTube or online communities. This is how I began but I could not learn everything from YouTube or forums. I my own carrying skills were increased after doing my Trageschule UK foundation course in March 2012, and I improve as a sling user with every course I do. But even I still use YouTube. The key with online resources is to know who they are by. Are they trained or are they an enthusiastic amateur?

A recent question in a group I'm a member of got me thinking about my job and whether Babywearing or Carrying Consultants are valued. The question revolved around whether you would book and pay for a consultation, whether a novice or an improver (I regularly see both). Thankfully for those of us who make our living from slings the overwhelming response was positive and that we were value for money.As a carrying consultant I have been trained how to give one to one or group, tailored, fully insured, private support to parents on how to carry their baby comfortably and safely. This support can begin before they have even had their baby and can continue for as long as the parent wishes to carry their baby or child. In these private consultations I use my knowledge of baby’s anatomy and sling structure/style to help parents find a solution to their own individual carrying needs. We discuss any special requirements and past carrying experience and any previous barriers to carrying. The key to a consultation is giving a personalised experience.

Some consultants when they first begin chose not to charge. I choose to charge. I believed by asking for afeeit provides a level of professionalism. I am after all providing a service. I have invested nearly £1000 in training courses. I have annual insurance and professional membership fees. I have a dedicated consultation room with over £7000 worth of stock (wholesale price not retail) available to hire. Running a sling library and consultancy does not just happen. I have childcare costs as I prefer to do consultations without the distraction of my own children. I have not had any grants or loans I have been lucky to receive some slings donated to me by manufacturers and retailers, or sold at discounted prices but the rest I have funded myself and through hire fees.

Private appointments last between 60 and 90 minutes in which I use the information provided by parents to help them find their sling solution. Firstly I demo a technique or carrier, then we mirror each other (using demo dolls) and then I watch while the parents try for themselves. This allows me to identify areas of potential difficulty and provide solutions. We can repeat this process as often as required until parents and their babies are happy. This one to one support is not possible in a free sling library or sling meet session. I can trouble shoot, I spot small errors, I can answer you questions. This doesn't happen via Facebook, forums and YouTube. The support I give doesn't just end when you leave either. I am happy to answer phone calls, emails and facebook messages when you are home. I even offer FaceTime consultations.

I hope in the coming years Carrying or Babywearing Consultants will be as well known as Lactation consultants for example. That when people want help they will know that there is dedicated support out there. In the meantime I am happy knowing that the parents I have helped are happy carrying their babies big and small. That they know where I am if they need me.

What do my past clients say?

The following quotes are taken from my coursework feedback form forSchool of BabywearingConsultancy coursework. Others are taken from the Recommendations box on ourFacebookpage. I hope it gives you a flavour of the benefit of having a private or group consultant can offer to you.

"I would recommend her to people and have done so. She makes the world of slings so much easier to understand and not scary! quite a few of my friends have gone to see her when the library is on and borrowed slings too. She is knowledgeable and i felt confident trying new slings after seeing her.""Rachel is a real natural at this - she has a flair for slings but for working with people at their most vulnerable after having children and making them feel empowered.""We wish we had gone sooner! I am currently pregnant and we will be booking another consultation for advice regarding newborns".

"I can highly recommend Rachel Coy and the North East Sling Library. After a one to one consultation I was able to choose which type of carrier was best for me, and after trying some out was able to buy my own (well, maybe more than one!). The buggy has not been out of the garage since, I am a total convert thanks to Rachel's knowledge of and enthusiasm for babywearing. Even my husband is convinced!"

"Having the opportunity to hire a sling for a month has made such a difference to my family and life. Thank you so much. I even got to hold my husband's hand for the first time in nearly four years. Thank you so much I highly recommend."

Want to book your own consultation? Use the button below to book.Want to speak to me to talk through options? Then ring 0191 3789768 or email meFollow us on Facebook and Twitter.

4 years ago with the garden covered with 4 foot of snow, the car snowed in and a rather fun drive to the hospital I became a mummy. My beautiful Henry was born at 12.31pm on Saturday 9th January 2010 weighing in at 6lb 12oz. He was only just cooked at 37+3 weeks and well we weren't quite expecting him to appear when he did. The car had not been moved for 2 weeks, there was lots and lots and lots of snow and my labour lasted 2.5hours so it was all a bit quick.I will remember that day for the rest of my life. I will forever be a Mummy. My precious baby boy is now a fiercely independent pre-schooler. Set to start school in September he is definitely a little boy now not a baby. He makes me thankful for every day. Happy 4th Birthday Henry. You and your brother teach me what is important in the world. Without you I don't know where I would be. I do know that the North East Sling Library would not exist. Your primary need to be loved and held is the reason I found slings. You are my first wrappee and I will forever hold those precious moments we shared while you slept in the sling. Feeling your breathing on my chest and later my neck when I started back carrying.

In March 2012 I trained with Trageschule UK to become a qualified Babywearing Consultant. This training gave me the skills to give private 1:1 appointments. I loved the course and learnt so much. It also helped me massively with my own wrapping skills. The Trageschule course is 3 part and in 2012 I did the first part, the foundation course. Almost as soon as I had finished I knew I wanted to do the advanced course but a new baby meant anymore training would have to wait. At around the same time as Trageschule UK launched in UK, the School of Babywearing was also launched. The School of Babywearing™ is a social enterprise that runs a variety of training courses for parents, professionals, businesses and other interested organisations about wearing babies and children in slings and baby carriers. Again I knew I would quite like to do one of their courses, either peer supporter or consultant but new baby and money meant it would need to wait. In the end it waited over a year before I completed the 3 day consultancy training course (31st May - 2nd June 2013).But if already a trained consultant, active and working in the industry, why did I opt to train again? Simple - I want to know as much as possible. As a teacher I am used to Continuous Professional Development (CPD). It allows us to keep up to date and develop our skills. Why would I not want to do the same for my sling career. But my training did not just mean attend a 3 day course. I also had to complete a detailed coursework assignment. I found out on New Year's Eve that I had passed! The Certificate in Babywearing course is accredited by OCN, one of the UK’s vocational accreditation bodies and is a Level Three course. You can see part of my coursework assignment here

But still not happy I completed the Trageschule UK advanced course in September 2013 and this week I booked to train with yet another Babywearing school, Slingababy. I will be completing their 4 day course in March 2014 and I'm so excited. The opportunity to train with another school, from another perspective is exciting and I'm up for the challenge. When I started the North East Sling Library I was the first library in the NE. I then became the first consultant. I now want to be the most qualified. I hope you will join me on my journey.